COVID-19 vaccination for children in Malaysia- A position statement by the College of Paediatrics, Academy of Medicine of Malaysia

Ceah, Fook Choe and Thong, Meow Keong and Zulkifli, Ismail and Zilfalil, Alwi and Amir Hamzah, Abdul Latiff and Chan, Patrick Wai Kiong and Khoo, Erwin Jiayuan and Noran Naqiah, Hairi (2022) COVID-19 vaccination for children in Malaysia- A position statement by the College of Paediatrics, Academy of Medicine of Malaysia. Malaysian Journal of Pathology, 44 (2). pp. 177-185. ISSN 0126-8635, DOI https://doi.org/10.1520/malay.124.

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

The availability of COVID-19 vaccines and mass vaccination programmes in adults have significantly reduced the case attack rates and disease burden. COVID-19 vaccination successfully decreases the population at risk of infection, allowing for the safer re-opening of economies and reducing the pandemic's crippling impact on healthcare systems. However, the rapidly mutating severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 poses challenges in diminishing vaccine-induced immunity and vaccinating a significant proportion of adults to achieve herd immunity. These challenges necessitated adolescent vaccination. With the recent emergence of the highly transmissible Omicron variant and the increasing COVID-19 hospitalisation rates of children below 12 years old, many countries opted to also vaccinate younger children. Phase II/III clinical trials and real-world experience demonstrate that COVID-19 vaccinations are effective and safe for younger children and adolescents. Before Malaysia introduced its national COVID-19 vaccination programme for children 5-11 years old (which ran between March and June 2022), an expert advisory statement was issued by the College of Paediatrics, Academy of Medicine of Malaysia, to highlight the benefits and importance of vaccinating children. The advisory statement included clarifications about vaccine-related side effects such as post-vaccination myocarditis and allergic reactions to encourage informed decision making by healthcare providers and parents. This paper, which was prepared based on the critical appraisal of the current evidence, evaluation of the international experiences and the positive impact of COVID-19 vaccination in children, collectively sums up the rationale to support and ensure the success of the nationwide vaccination programme for children. Hence, the College recommends COVID-19 vaccination for children in Malaysia.

Item Type: Article
Funders: ZP Therapeutics
Uncontrolled Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; MIS -C; Myocarditis; Anaphylaxis; mRNA vaccine; COVID-19; Vaccination
Subjects: R Medicine
Divisions: Faculty of Medicine
Depositing User: Ms. Juhaida Abd Rahim
Date Deposited: 13 Sep 2023 07:18
Last Modified: 13 Sep 2023 07:18
URI: http://eprints.um.edu.my/id/eprint/41207

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item